Disappearing Frogs

Why are Frogs disappearing around the world? Around the world, frogs are declining at an alarming rate due to threats like pollution, disease and climate change, which makes them the first indicators of ecosystem changes. Many Frogs all around the world are vanishing because the rapid changes in the environment are killing them. Also frogs, and all amphibians, may be sensitive indicators of water quality because they absorb gases and chemicals directly through the skin. Vanishing frogs could be an early warning of serious water problems in the environment. Though fungi and habitat destruction have been implicated in the disappearances, the frogs’ problem comes down to one problem: Amphibians are extremely sensitive to changes in their environment. Amphibians’ physiology and complex water-and-land life cycle expose them to more environmental changes than most animals, and though they have survived climate changes before, today's changes are accelerating too rapidly for frogs to keep pace. Also, frogs’ eggs have no shells, exposing embryos to increased UV-B radiation levels, which can cause harmful mutations. Pollution has contaminated the water frogs thrive in and global climate change is causing higher levels of infectious diseases. What can be done to protect threatened frogs? In some cases, nothing very effective. There are a number of species that now live only in carefully controlled zoo or laboratory environments, and it may or may not be possible to reintroduce them into the wild. In many cases, others thinks it's better to concentrate on saving habitats and letting their endangered amphibians survive or perish in the wild than to catch the remaining animals and keep them in a modern ark in hopes of a later opportunity to reintroduce them somewhere. Part of the reason is that climate change is altering habitats in ways that we can't predict very well, so that conditions that might be ideal in a particular spot might be ephemeral. In the United States, an unofficial Partnership for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation advises private land owners of things they can do to protect frogs and other living things, for example, fencing off just a part of a pond where cattle drink.

Tesco : Retail & Logistics Mgt

The business world nowadays is very different from the past. It is fast changing, challenging and full of opportunities. In order to sustain the business, the companies need to minimize costs, maximize profits and make the business environmentally sustainable. The management of the organization achieve these goals through supply chain management has recently focused (Fawcett, et al. , 2007). Tesco is one of the World’s leading retailer with operations in United Kingdom, Korea, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Hungary, Malaysia, Japan, China and the United States.She became increasingly significant on the international stage. The supply chain transformation has underpinned to this retail success story. Tesco adopted a common operating model across its worldwide business, admitting it to spread and support key supply chain and replenishment applications when it expanded into new countries. Tesco leveraged a common model across multiple countries and strong willingness to acc ept local market without losing its core identity, this allowed Tesco think globally and act locally (Smith and Sparks 1993 and Gustafsson et al 2006).There were four main improving stages in distribution and supply chain strategies in Tesco that could be demonstrated; Direct to store delivery, centralization, composite distribution and vertical collaboration and ‘lean’ supply chains (Fernie & Sparks, 2009). Direct to store delivery (DSD): This process operated in mid-1970s. The direct delivery by the manufacturers and suppliers to the retail shops whenever they wanted. Shop manages operated in own interest. These made central control and standardization more difficult.A requirement of alternative in approach to supply and distribution occurred as the new corporate business strategy took hold (Fernie & Sparks, 2009). Centralization: This process was applied to move away from DSD in 1980. The introduction of centralization compelled suppliers to meet Tesco’s opera tional demands and gave control over the supply of products to stores within a lead time of maximum of 48 hours. Suppliers were forced to deliver into the distribution centers of the supply network.This allowed faster stock turn, better lead time and reduced inventory cost. Moreover, the organized network of centralized distribution centers was linked by computer to stores and head offices. Buffer stock level and operations stock was reduced. However, this created problems of high logistic cost due to the increased delivery frequency, running of empty or un-full vehicle and increased labor cost on more frequent receiving. Nevertheless, outsourcing was the key component of the revised supply chain network.It allowed making comparison between Tesco’s operated centers and outside contractors, to measure the practices between two parties and drive efficiency (Fernie & Sparks, 2009). Composite Distribution: This integrated strategy of supply was implemented in 1990, in ongoing imp rovement process. It enabled chilled, fresh and frozen products to be distributed by multi-temperature warehouses and vehicles through a common system. Special designed vehicles with individual temperature control compartments were used to delivery any combination of these products.According to Fernie and Sparks (2009, pg. ,151), â€Å"The move to composite led to the further centralization of more product groups , the reduction of stock holding, faster product movement along the channel, better information sharing, the reduction of order lead times and stronger code control for critical products. This composite structure became the backbone of the supply network. † Tesco international business growth and the new methods of working, the composite nature of centers became regional distribution centers (RDC) gradually.Vertical Collaboration and â€Å"Lean† Supply Chains: Jones and Clarke (2002) stated that there were lots of chances for improvement even in the best-run v alue streams. A famous quoted example, Tesco cola can journey (Womack and Jones 2005). The can example demonstrated the improvement process undertaken by Tesco. Firstly, map of the traditional value stream. Secondly, value stream flow was designed. Finally, Tesco turn up from flow principle and began to look at synchronization and aspects of lean manufacturing and upply (Fernie & Sparks, 2009). â€Å"Tesco moved to a lean supply system using the flow system multiple daily orders were send to suppliers allowing for multiple deliveries, reducing stock holding through cross-docking and varying availabilities and quality (Fernie and Sparks 2009, pg. , 155). Tesco initialed to change the supply chain pattern to fit in various countries. The success infrastructure and the processes of supply chain were embedded in new enter countries.For example, Hungary, Ireland, Korea, Poland and Czech Republic, major RDC was built in these countries. The composite model had been effectively implemente d, even with the same logistics service partners (Child, 2002). However, in some occasion, Tesco needed to rethink the supply system and adopting advanced information technology as the springboard to step forward. For example, Oracle Retail Warehouse Management System was deployed in Korea in 2004. Successful implementations transplanted to other countries. Oracle Corporation, 2012) Similarly, Micro Focus was selected to upgrade the supply chain management systems (Continuous Replenishment Application) to create a common model across all countries and support to move into US market in 2007 (Micro Focus, 2011). Summarizing the above, the outcome of an informed supply chain and the development of advanced IT infrastructure enable seamless information sharing on a common platform with internet-based network. It enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of the supply chain.According to Harrison and Hoek (2008), Information sharing technology enables collaborative partners working togeth er from product design, manufacturing, logistic flow, demand forecasting, replenishment planning and work closely to align their organization strategy in order to achieve competitive advantage. Kotler (1988) claimed that a company going abroad must study and understanding each foreign market carefully, being sensitive to its culture and economics, and apply adjustment in its products and communication to suit local needs.With support of the above authors, Tesco had made a remarkable supply chain operation in international expansion. Question 2: Different aspects concerning Tesco’s International experience are included in the indicated case study from page 30. You are required to select and evaluate three of these experiences. Various dimensions of Tesco’s international experience are illustrated in the case study. The following experiences are selected to be evaluated, they are entry mode experiences, marketing and communications and human capital experience.Entry mode experience: Expansion into foreign markets can be carried out via the four mechanisms; direct investment, acquisition, licensing and joint venture (Foley, 1999). The entry mode that Tesco chose to adopt when entering foreign market was acquisition (Yoruk & Radoservic, 2000). (Fig. 1) Compared to other large retail companies such as Wal-Mart who lean to focus on larger market, Tesco tended to take a more conservative entry strategy. Tesco entered the central European market through store-by-store mode. It allowed testing on the market with comparatively lower startup cost.The human and financial capital was also minimized. On the other hand, the cost of failure or replacing them by larger hypermarket was also lower. After a testing period of these acquisitions, Tesco started to expand through Greenfield investments. It constructed new hypermarkets in outskirt (Beckmann, 1999). This was a very aspiring change for Tesco since this was totally new. This approach allowed to have a exper ience on the expand which is completely apart from current domestic supermarket format and extend the international retail store operations.Marketing and communication: Tesco learned from accumulated experiences in approaching new markets, compared to the failure experience in entering the Ireland and French markets, Tesco made success in entering Czech Republic because of its vigorous initiative to adopt the local market without drooping its core identity which were offered low prices, high quality product and services. With global strategies and adapt customization in each local market, like McDonalds operates, with a global development plan, but adapting locally, has become known as ‘glocalisation’.Tiplady (2003) defined that the way in which ideas and structures that circulate globally and adapted and changed by local realities. Tesco adopted this as the core strategy to enter different foreign markets continuously. In recognizing and understanding the local needs, which included the needs of customers, competitors and the macro environment. Global sourcing and supply chain experience: As mentioned previously, Tesco think globally and act locally. It’s chosen to create a long term relationship with local producer in individual countries.For example, in considering the high level of national identity existing in Czech Republic, Tesco worked with the local food processors and farmers to develop its own label products at a lower cost. In UK, almost cover 40% of own brand products (Yoruk & Radoservic, 2000). In Ireland, Tesco also supported local Irish products and producers. It purchased goods worth ? 900 million annually from Irish companies in 2002. Tesco also worked together with the Irish companies to produce Tesco brand products for both domestic and international market which increased the production volume (Anon, 2000).In 2010, Irish exported more than ? 700 million of goods to worldwide Tesco. This also set up a corporate social re sponsibility image which create as a high corporate reputation and a positive image to the customers too. The remarkable supply chain operation in international expansion was adapted in changing mode to fit different countries. The successful implementation would become the back bone of the supply chain and embedded to other location with adjustment. The initiative in adopting new information technology infrastructure to enable information sharing which improved the supplier’s relationships.Question 3: Select a global retail company of your choice and discuss how globalization impacted on their strategy approach. Globalization is the concept of how global companies seeking to grow its business by extending its markets whilst at the same time seeking cost reduction through economic of scale in areas such as purchasing, production and focused manufacturing and or assembly operations (Christopher, 2005). IKEA is one of the world’s largest furniture retailers. It perceives itself as the leader within the global market of home furniture. In 2010, it has 280 stores in 26 countries worldwide.The core business idea of IKEA is to offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at low prices that most of the people can afford. Its main business strategy is â€Å"one-design-suits-all† that is aligning the design of products so as to enjoy economies of scale, efficiency as well as lower cost. Therefore, IKEA designs the product that suit as many markets as possible. The flat packaging system for packing its furniture to optimize carrier space, lower down the utilization of warehouse space and minimizing the types of pallets used to store is extraordinary.It helps to cut down the costs compared to other competitors. Moreover, IKEA has a wide supplier base all over the world. Most of them located in low-cost nations, for example, China and East Europe. IKEA maintains a good and long-term relationship with its suppliers. It suppo rts its suppliers in the form of leased equipment, credit facilities or even extending guarantees for supplier’s bank loan. With strong alliance and partnership with suppliers, in return, improved relationship with the suppliers, hence IKEA could be certain on the supply, standardization of products at high quality with the optimum low price.Furthermore, IKEA also benefits from the scale of its global business. All of the suppliers need to comply with IKEA’s IWAY requirement. The IWAY is a recognized standard and a quality assurance selling point to both the current and potential new customer. Organizations have attempted to expand into new markets with the target to enjoy the benefits through globalization. A new demand in logistical activities in supply chain is increased (Skjott-Larsen, et al. , 2007). IKEA’s global supply chain involves more than 1380 suppliers, 41 trading service offices, 31 distribution centers (DC) and 11 customer DCs across the world.IKE A provides its suppliers with support in logistics and IT. The transport manager finds the optimal mode of transportation, delivery lead time and cost involved. IKEA preferred to build its DCs closer to seaports in order to use more ocean transport and less of road and rail transport. Products are either delivered directly to the stores or the DCs whichever is closer. For those slow moving items, they are delivered to those centralized DCs which can cover for a large region (Trent & Monczka, 2002) .In addition, standardization helped IKEA to manage pilot projects at a DC and embedded in worldwide DCs if found successful. It enables IKEA to benchmark the performances of various DCs as all worked on identical procedures. The flat packaging is all designed to fit the highest possible products into the containers minimize logistic cost. This meliorates the efficiency and lower the overall landed costs of products (Agndal, 2006). Moreover, IKEA applies the same design, technology, and op erations at all of its facilities thus the processes are standardize across the supply chain.The employees could move from any one location around the world that actually opens the opportunities for staff to widen their career experience and learn other cultures (Kling & Goteman, 2003). Globalization is an ongoing development processes. These are not purely concern on the geographical spread of economic activities across national boundaries. It also includes the functional integration of globally scattered activities. The enterprises convert into a unit that is linked to the world at large instead of a domestic unit (Dicken, 2003). Bibliography Agndal, H. , 2006.The purchasing market entry process – A study of 10 Swedish insudtrial small and medium-sized enterprise. Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, 12(4), pp. 182-196. Andersen, M. & Skjoett-Larsen, T. , 2009. Corporate social responsibilty in global supply chains. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 1 4(2), pp. 75-89. Anon, 2000. An entry strategy for the Irish market, Ireland: The Irish Times. Beckmann, A. , 1999. Dysfunctional Decision-Making -The Battle for Prague's Future. Central Europe Review, 1(21). Bowersox, D. , Closs, D. & Copper, M. , 2003.Supply Chain Logistic Management. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Brut, S. L. & Sparks, L. , 2003. Power and competition in the UK retail grocery market. British Journal of Management, Volume 14, pp. 237-254. Child, P. N. , 2002. Taking Tesco Global. Mckinsey Quarterly, Volume 3, pp. 135-144. Christopher, M. , 2005. Logister and Supply Chain Management: Creating Value-Adding Networks. 3rd ed. London: Pearson Education Publications. Dicken, P. , 2003. Global Shift: Resharping The Global Economic Map in The 21th Century. 4th ed. London: Sage Publication. Fawcett, S. , Ellram, L. & Ogden, J. 2007. Supply Chain Management : From Vision to Implementation. London: Pearson. Fernie, J. & Sparks, L. , 2009. Logistics & Retail Management: Eme rging issues and new challengers in the retail supply chain. 3rd ed. London: Kogan Page Limited. Foley, F. J. , 1999. The Global Enterpreneur : Taking Your Business International. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing Inc.. Gustafsson, K. , Jonson, G. , Smith, D. & Sparks, L. , 2006. Retailing Logistics abd Fresh Food Packaging. London: Kogan Page. Handfiled, R. B. & Nichols, E. L. , 2004. Key issues in global supply base management.Industrial Marketing Mangement, 33(1), pp. 29-35. Harrison, A. & Hoek, R. V. , 2008. Logistic Managment and Strategy : Competing through the supply chain. 3rd ed. London: Pearson. Hugos, M. , Hunt, T. & Philips, T. , 2007. Scoring Points: How Tesco continues to win customer loyalty. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Jones, D. T. & Clarke, P. , 2002. Creating a customer driven supply chain. ECR Journal, 2(2), pp. 28-37. Kirkwood, D. A. , 1984. How Tesco manages the distribution function. Retail and Distribution Management, 12(5), pp. 61-65. Kling, K. & Got eman, I. , 2003.IKEA CEO Anders Dahlvig on international growth and IKEA's unique corporate culture and brand identity. Academy of Management Executive, 17(1), pp. 31-37. Kotler, P. , 1988. Marketing Management – Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control. 6th ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall International. Mangan, J. , Lalwani, C. , Butcher, T. & Javadpour, R. , 2012. Global Logistics & Supply Chain Management. 2nd ed. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Mohorovice, D. , 2000. Minding the store Tesco Commercial Director Paul House on customer service, supplier relations, and what milk and home mortages have in common.Budapest Business Journal, p. 9. Monczka, R. M. & Trent, R. J. , 1991. Global sourcing: A development approach. International Journal of Purchasing and Material Management, 27(2), pp. 2-8. Palmer, M. , 2004. International restructure and divestment: The experience of Tesco. Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 20, pp. 1075-1105. Palmer, M. , 2005. Retail mult inational learning: a case study of Tesco. International of Retail & Distribution Management, 33(1), pp. 23-48. Powell, D. , 1991. Counter Revolution: The Tesco Story. London: Grafton Books. Riera, J. , 2000.Tesco sourcing teams to drive down global costs. The Retail Week, 17 March, p. 1. Seonng, M. S. , 2005. Fairness and Relationship Quality Perceived by Local Suppliers. Journal of Global Marketing, Issue 18, pp. 1-2, 5-19. Skjott-Larsen, T. , Schary, B. P. , Mikkola, J. H. & Kotzab, H. , 2007. Managing The Global Supply Chain. 3rd ed. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press. Smith, D. L. G. & Sparks, L. , 1993. The transformation of physical distribution in retailing: the example of Tesco Plc. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 3(1), pp. 35-64. Tiplady, R. 2003. One World or Many: The impact of globalisation on mission. Pasadena: William Carey Library. Trent, R. J. & Monczka, R. M. , 2002. Pursuing competitive advantage through integrated global sourcing. Academy of Management Executive, 16(2), pp. 66-80. Vivek, S. , 2011. Supply Chain as Strategy Asset : The Key to Reaching Busines Goals. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. Womack, J. P. & Jones, D. T. , 2005. Lean Solutions. London: Simon and Schuster. Yoruk, D. & Radoservic, S. , 2000. International Expansion and Buyer-Driven Commodity Chain: The Case of Tesco. [Art] (University College London).

Mang Inasal Essay

I. Background of the Company MANG INASAL – Philippine’s fastest growing barbeque fast food chain, serving chicken, pork barbeque and other Filipino favorites, was first established on December 12, 2003 in Iloilo City.   Mang Inasal comes from two word’s MANG – Local word for â€Å"Mister† and INASAL – Ilonggo word for barbecue, a popular dish in Visayas. MangInasal – is a Pinoy quick-service restaurant that originated in the City of Iloilo and was able to compete with other existing food chains nationwide. Currently, there are 464 branches nationwide and with over 10,000 employees system wide. MANG INASAL is doing its share in alleviating the unemployment burden of the country. The presence of every MANG INASAL in a certain area provides not only employment but also opportunities to community members including suppliers of kalamansi, charcoal, banana leaves, vegetables, bamboo sticks, and other ingredients. It also indirectly gives income – generating act ivities to many. MILESTONE: * Mang Inasal’s First Company Owned store: Robinson’s Place Iloilo on December 12, 2003 * First store in Manila: SM Mall of Asia on September 15, 2006 * 100th Store at Kalibo on January 9, 2009 * 200th Store Plaza Miranda Quiapo December 21, 2009 On its 6thyear, Mang Inasal built a total of100 stores in one year from 2008 to 2009. Mang Inasal capitalized on giving livelihood to the people around its surrounding communities Mang Inasal has set a significant example of using environmental friendly materials in its operations. Vision Statement * To be the 2nd largest QSR in the Philippines by year 2020. Mission * To consistently provide our customers with a â€Å"solb, alagang pinoy† experience everyday. Mang Inasal Core Values * Costumer Focus * Excellence * Respect for the Individual * Teamwork * Spirit of Family and Fun * Honesty and Integrity * Frugality * Sense of Ownership * Humility to Listen and Learn

Quality and Reliability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Quality and Reliability - Essay Example It is through expression that employees give expression to their commitment to work, level of motivation and their attitudes. Therefore, both officials while expressing commitment to work have some differences in perception. The number one priority for plant manager should be to minimise defects at the floor level itself. Detecting defects at the time of packing/ machining level not only increases the production costs but also adversely affects the net output. Difference of opinion is also a result of compatibility. General foreman is with the company for quite a while now while chief inspector has joined just a year back. Training of departmental inspectors can be a good option to invest in future, because training and development activities are the main mechanisms through which individual's goals and aspirations can be integrated with organisational goals and requirements. Training not only helps in developing knowledge and technical skills but also bring in change in attitudes as well. It needs to be emphsised to the inspectors that training is basically a task-oriented activity aimed at improving performance. There is also a problem of authority and coordination between horizontal differentiation between organisational units. This needs to be resolved amicably. This is plant manager's task to assign duties and responsibilities in the chain, which must appear to be logical and balanced. Let both general foreman and chief inspector should horizontally report to the plant manager, because this way I get feedback from two different checkpoints. All three departments will have the existing arrangement for the time being, because in any case campaign for better quality has already started. Ans. 2: Dr. W. Edwards Deming: "We have learned to live in a world of mistakes and defective products as if they were necessary to life. It is time to adopt a new philosophy in America."2 The managers of above mentioned case study must take a cue from this statement of Dr. Deming. Known as the father of Japanese post-war industrial revival, Dr. Deming was born in 1900 in United States. He remained largely unknown in his native USA until he was 'discovered' by the media in 1981. The Deming cycle or the PDCA cycle3 is a continuous quality improvement cycle consisting of a logical sequence of four repetitive steps for continuous improvement and learning; Plan, Do, Check and Act. This cycle was an improvement over the Shewart cycle. Dr. W. Edwards Deming* was a statistician and a student of Dr. Shewhart. His early career was spent teaching the application of statistical concepts and tools within industry4. He was invited to Japan at the end of World War II by

Ethical, legal, and social responsibility issues that your topic Research Paper

Ethical, legal, and social responsibility issues that your topic raises - Research Paper Example It is usually hard to choose whether to apply these unethical conditions because despite the challenges they face, it can be beneficial to the organization. It can lead to lower variable costs and increase in company profits. It is very important that executive members of organizations such as senior managers and supervisors equip themselves with ethical knowledge and skills. These would come handy when they face ethical dilemma on whether to use appropriate employee working conditions or not (Crowther, 43). When deciding on whether to change the current working conditions, it is important to research if the issue is serious and if it harms stakeholders of the organization. These stakeholders include employees, families of employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers and the society that neighbors the organization. Some of the issues such as hiring fewer employees are small problems that can be sort out internally. Large issues such as massive pay cut of employee salaries or exposing employees to health hazards put the reputation of the organization down. If the issue is very serious, junior managers should take it upon their responsibility to pass it to a senior manager or any officer with a high authority. It takes great courage when it comes to managers voicing personal values on ethical issues of employee working conditions. Not every organization executive share the same beliefs and values, but understanding and knowing ones values puts them at an advantage when dealing with ethical dilemma that may arise in the organization. Several steps should be considered before organizations change their employee working conditions. First, it should ask itself how it feels about the particular issue. It should then have its intentions to be for the greater good .Next; the organization should evaluate and consider its power in the specific industry that it carries its operations. After this, the organization can then weigh the risk and benefits of its action.

Planned Parenthood organization and social media Case Study

Planned Parenthood organization and social media - Case Study Example The organization had formally moved to the online platform in 2002 and had its own web space. It had joined social spaces such as Facebook in 2004, YouTube in 2005, and Twitter in 2006. However, in 2011, the fight over the defunding of the organization made the people in the organization to rethink on how to change their approach of the online space to make it more interactive and engaging to improve user experience (Planned Parenthood, 2012). When the campaign commenced, it resulted to a thousand of calls and emails from the organizational supporters. Within a short time of voting, the organization had received thousands of messages from e-mails, YouTube, Facebook, and other social media channels from supporters and even Chaperoned emails from partners (Perry, 2012). 2. In this case, social media played a big role in the defunding conflict as a lead for the TV reporting. This means that, TV reporters only got news after supporters, organizations employees, partners and all the other individuals involved gave their views on the social media platforms. For example, Wining states that, â€Å"in the meantime, the press began to report claims that Komen was deleting negative social media posts† (Winig, 2012, p. 18). Certainly, it is evident that this press release was done after the media personnel realized what Komen was doing on the social media platforms. Otherwise, this statement would not have been released if social media was not there. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were the main social media platforms that played the largest role in the conflict.

Cayce Pollard and the significance of logos and advertizing in pattern Essay

Cayce Pollard and the significance of logos and advertizing in pattern recognition - Essay Example In the book, â€Å"Pattern Recognition,† by William Gibson, there is a direct reference to aesthetics and how these link to logos and advertising. This is defined by the perspective of Cayce Pollard and her ability to recognize the meanings that are surrounding the various logos and ads. Identifying the advertising and logos and seeing how this relates to communicating different ideas is important not only in the identity of Cayce Pollard and in the ideologies behind trends. The logos become significant with the ability to show how the perspectives which Cayce holds also influence the basic functions and patterns in society and what is expected from various individuals. The Story of Cayce Pollard as a Cool Hunter The characteristics of Cayce are one which is able to point out and define logos, colors, trends and fashions from the aesthetic viewpoint. Cayce is important in the book because of these recognitions and the ability to take the regular images, logos and trends and allows them to stand out. This concept is one which can be defined as a cool hunter, meaning that the character has the capability of finding trends through images and knowing what works and what only becomes segmented into the pattern. The pattern is defined as an image that states the same message or level of communication through the color, shapes and other ideas that are represented. In Cayce’s understanding, there are very few logos that stand out, which is what causes them to become patterns. For instance, when looking at a variety of fragrances, Cayce is given the special slant of needing to find something that stands out while noticing that all follow repetition in the communication and message that is used. â€Å"Zaprudered into surreal dimensions of purest speculation, ghost narratives have emerged and taken on shadowy but determined lives of their own, but Cayce is familiar with them all, and steers clear† (Gibson, 24). This example shows how Cayce recognizes the patterns of logos, advertisements and the sameness that each brings, while trying to find something which stands out from the usual aesthetic repetition. The approach which Cayce takes begins with finding the denotational meaning, or symbolism. The symbolism is based on finding the colors of various objects, all which are used to describe and signify something about an individual, trend or logo. This is combined with the belief that each item which one has tries to say something or several things to create meaning. This is noted from the beginning when Cayce introduces her fashion as well as other comparisons and how this relates to patterns of how one thinks and acts. â€Å"Dorotea may have attempted to out  œ minimalize her this morning, Cayce decides. If so, it hasn’t worked. Dorotea’s black dress, for all is apparent simplicity, is still trying to say several things at once, probably in at least three languages† (Gibson, 10). The symbolism which is seen from the viewpoint of Cayce includes color for simplicity, making statements with styles and trends and using this to convey a specific message in different languages. The denotational meanings Cayce finds leads to her being a cool hunter, meaning that she can find something that stands out from regular patterns. She has the natural ability to see trends and ideas that continue to make specific statements about an individual or company. The second way in which Cayce creates meaning and becomes a cool hunter is by looking at the connotative meaning. This is done by looking the words, ideas or the significance behind different concepts or objects. Cayce believes that this is able to show more than the basic and super ficial ideologies, but moves into deeper levels of the object. For instance, wh

Porters diamond model was developed to explain the competitive Essay

Porters diamond model was developed to explain the competitive advantage of globally leading industries in different countries. To what extent do you believe that the model is effective in achieving this - Essay Example Intensity of global competition is very high today mainly due to the fast growth of emerging economies like China, India, and Brazil. Alliances of emerging economies like BRICS play a significant role in influencing the competitiveness of national economies. This paper will analyse to what extent the Porter’s diamond model is effective in achieving its stated objectives giving particular focus to concepts of industry clusters, diamond model, and emerging nations. According to traditional economic theories, the major factors affecting the competitive advantage of regions or nations were land, location, natural resources, labour, and the population size. As none of these factors can be influenced by external forces, people had believed that national prosperity was passive or inherited and hence nothing could be done to improve the situation. However, Porter argued that sustained industrial growth is not depended on these basic inherited factors. In order to replace this traditional misconception, Porter introduced a concept called industry cluster, which represents a group of interconnected firms, suppliers, and related industries in a particular location. He stated that competitive advantage of nations is determined by four interlinked economic factors existing in such industry clusters. The theorist also suggested that these economic factors can be significantly influenced by strong technological and knowledge base, government support, skill ed workforce, and culture. According to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (2011), â€Å"there are few economic development policies as popular as clusters†. Recognising the importance of clusters, today countries, regions, and even cities strive to develop a network of complementary and competitive firms. The recent global financial crisis substantially increased the significance of clusters. The report also says that locating firms in the same place does not constitute clusters unless there

The workmanship of risk CRAFTS, skill and the quality of materials Essay

The workmanship of risk CRAFTS, skill and the quality of materials - Essay Example Obviously when he does not and relies on manual tools he subscribes to the workmanship of risk theory. The discussion that follows demonstrates how. According to Edward Luci-Smith, craft has endured three stages throughout history. In the first stage, craft endured a period where all objects were created purely by hand. The emphasis was on craft and it mattered not whether the object crafted was decorative, ritual or purely utilitarian. The second and third stages occurred from the Renaissance period onward and during the second stage there was marked distinction between fine arts and craft. This was primarily during the Renaissance period. By the time of the Industrial Revolution craft was distinguished from those objects handcrafted and those objects produced by machine. (Lucie-Smith, 1981, 83-85) It was this last stage of craft that gave rise to Pye’s Workmanship of Risk and Workmanship of Certainty theories. With the advances in technology craft took on a different dimension. Man could rely on his own skill to create an object or he could rely on the advances in technology to create objects with a greater certainty that those objects would turn out the way they were designed. Contemporary craft has evolved into a â€Å"high-quality, unique one-off art object and limited-quantity design work.† (Kikuchi, 2004, 235) Craft by definition requires a specific knowledge and skill to a point where it reflects workmanship, function and art. (Kikuchi, 2004, 236) To this end contemporary craft challenges the mass production of objects that are turned out automatically because this kind of production: In distinguishing between the workmanship of risk and the workmanship of certainty, Pye maintains that the latter is not possible without the former. (Pye, 1995,23) While the dynamics of workmanship of certainty permits mad to put out objects in mass quantities

The debate on assisted suicide Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The debate on assisted suicide - Research Paper Example The debate on assisted suicide Even as medicine seeks to save these extremely sick people, debate continues to rage on whether these deteriorated and tortured lives in excruciating pain should be ended or not. While some people opposed assisted suicide outright, others feel that legislations to allow physicians to end the lives of patients suffering from terminal illnesses are in order. However, such patients’ or their guardians’ or parents’ consent must be obtained prior to terminating their lives. This paper explores the two sides of the raging debates on assisted suicide. There are several reasons for which cross sections of the population support the ending of terminally ill patients’ lives. First, assisted suicide should be legalized since people should be accorded the right to choose whatever they want to do with their lives provided they do not interfere with or endanger others’ lives. That is, peoples’ right to choose freely should also cover the right to choose when to end own life. People whose diseases or handicap cannot allow them to end their lives should have the right to be assisted to end their lives and such a right should be granted and respected. Second, assisted suicide should be legalized since, as human beings, we have the duty and responsibility to relieve or end the suffering of other human beings and respect their wishes and dignity. It should be noted that certain diseases and conditions may make people lose their earlier dignity and they would rather choose to die than live in such dignity. In fact, certain current conditions are so excruciating that some people are no longer able to function with dignity as they used to do (Terman et al., 2007). It is thus not only cruel but also inhumane to deny such be the merciful end to their misery, pain, and indignity by terming their please illegal. Human compassion also dictates that we should comply with such pleas and cooperate with the patient’s wishes. Opposing Assisted Suicide On the other side of the debate are those opposed to the idea of assisted suicide. Their first reason for opposing the legalization of assisted suicide is that people have the moral duty to preserve and protect the lives of others. Assisted suicide is hence a fundamental breach of our duty to respect human life. In other words, given that the society should be committed to protecting all forms of life, it would be an unfathomable sin to end a fellow human being’s life by commissioning its destruction. It is also man’s duty to oppose any laws that would support assisted suicide, more so for patients who are innocent people (Humphrey, 2002). Third, those opposed to assisted suicide assert that there is no exact definition of the lives that should be ended. This situation would give room for the arbitrary ending of lives deemed worthless or undesirable. In fact, cases of inconvenienced relatives and friends persuading and coercing their ailing relatives to ask for assisted suicide would be a routine thing if assisted suicide were legalized. Worse still, patients may sign assisted suicide requests but change their minds later when their conditions may not all ow them to make their change of mind known (Hayden, 1999). In such a case, someone may end up being assisted to die against

Starbucks coffee and dunkin donuts Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Starbucks coffee and dunkin donuts - Case Study Example Opportunities: Due to its global recognition, Starbucks has the opportunity to expand their international market in order to reimburse for any diminish in the US market share. They als have a great opportunity of product diversification The company has a strong branding strategy that makes their presence felt wherever they are located. In addition, to protect them from negative trend cycles, they are in the process of diversifying their specialties into baking and fresh fruit juice. The company is also an American based company, which, since its founding in 1950 has developed to be one of the principal coffee products chain in the world over with a total of 15,000 outlets in 37 different countries. Over time the chain has developed to include and serve over 1,000 items on their menu. The company’s primary competition over coffee sales is Starbucks coffee company. Strengths: The Company has a very strong name that has been established worldwide. This has created a strong brand loyalty among the customers. In addition, the business has a wide assortment of pastry from which the customers can chose from. Further, the quality services provided to customers and their retention strategies are a key strongpoint. Opportunity: The Company has a huge opportunity to increase its revenue and customer base through effective online marketing. There is also great room for expansion into newer economies and regions of the world which they have not tapped into. In addition, there’s an opportunity to diversify by introducing low calorie snacks. The company’s strategy is sort of a different approach from the norm. Instead of putting emphasis on the product and the menu, the firms aim to achieve full customer satisfaction by provision of quality service and the introduction of strategies that facilitate customer

Cross Media Assignment Essay Example for Free

Cross Media Assignment Essay In the first part of My Cross Media Assignment, I analysed, ‘L’Oreal Casting Crà ¨me Gloss.’ This advert cast Cheryl Cole, the nation’s sweetheart, in an advertisement for hair dye. This advert inspired me, to develop a beauty product, because it is such a big market here in the U.K. I took a close look at what Cheryl’s make-up was, and it was neutral and fresh, this was, apart from her eye shadow. As a result of this, I decided to design an eye shadow. I conducted research into Barry M’s Dazzle Dust, because their print ad’s are always flamboyant, and are interesting to look at. They use bright eye shadow, and usually darker coloured backgrounds to make the image ‘pop’, and stand out to the audience. The unique selling point of Dazzle Dust, is all the colours that it comes in, this makes the product unique. I decided to take a different route, and develop a product that women can use for the day and then for the night. I matched my product, Day n Night, to my target audience, because I think that women would want to own a product that they can use in the morning, when they go to work, and then they can use it straight after work, as a top up, using different colours, to go out for a drink with her friends. I think that my product appeals to women, because it is compact, useful, and there is a gap in the market for a product like mine. I planned my advert, by going to high street make-up retailer, House of Frasier, and I researched the eye shadow industry, and found that the adverts for the Day are very different from the ones that show a ‘night look’. The ‘Daytime’ look for most eye shadows is, a corporate woman looking clean. She normally has a very light Smokey eye, with a pink tint to blend. Whereas in the night look’ the woman has darker eyes, with black as a liner, and dark greys to blend. I decided for my advert that I would use the same woman, in two different situations, wearing two different styles of eye shadow, so that you can see a visible difference. I constructed my brand identity by using two colours, purple and lilac, the purple represents the night look, whereas the lilac shows the day look. I decided not to give my product a slogan, because I realised that women’s make up doesn’t generally have slogans, because if a woman sees a good advert, she will buy the product, and if she likes it, she will buy it again. I made the product represent all women, because in the U.K it is a frequently occurring thing, to see women go out with their friends after a day at work. I did not use a model for my print advert because I wanted my advert to be relatable to women, and give them a real product, rather than some product the celebrity endorsing it doesn’t use. The workplace I decided to use was a secretary’s desk, trying to show that you do not need to hold down a high paying job, to be able to buy the product. The only regulations that I might possibly face in my advert, is when the women goes out for a drink with her friends. There are restrictions in using alcohol in television or in print adverts, because Alcohol advertisements often portray alcohol as enhancing economic success, fun, attractiveness to the opposite sex, athletic skill, and social popularity, and this is the wrong message to send and is therefore not allowed. To prevent my advertisement to be subject to this, I have made sure that the alcohol is never directly seen, it is always mixed in a glass with something else, and the women are not sexualised, in anyway, and when you see men, looking at the woman with the eye shadow on, it is clear to the audience that they are not drunk, and that they haven’t been drinking. Looking back at my advert, I think that I could improve my television advert, because I do not think that in my storyboard, I showed off the product enough, and it was a little vague. Although I think I did meet the audience’s needs, and I did produce a product that I am pleased with, and I thought, there was a gap in the market for. I think on reflection, that my eye shadow box, was the best thing that I did concerning my whole assignment, and I am entirely pleased with my body of work, although there could have been some improvements made.

Ecuadors Adoption of Finlands Education System

Ecuadors Adoption of Finlands Education System ABSTRACT This research is focused on the most viable solutions that Ecuador has to improve its educational system, based on certain characteristics and key factors of the best education system in the world that is Finnish according to the TEST PISA (2012). The three most feasible alternatives that can lead the Ecuadorian educational system to rise in the ranking of education worldwide. The possible solutions are: first, teachers will be more qualified, and thus incorporate more dynamic techniques; Second, small classes will allow for personalized learning; And third, students will develop language and artistic skills from an early age. Ecuadorians would be the ones who would benefit most, since a good quality education implies that the student has a good academic level at the regional level, therefore implies that he will be able to perform optimally in the future and in that way to help in the academic development of the country. How Would Ecuador Benefit From Adopting Finlands Education System? Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. (Benjamin Franklin, n.d), education system in Ecuador is not at higher level at regional level, much less at worldwide level, the Ecuadorian system is based in memorization and huge amounts of tests, making the classes boring for the students, moreover as Susan Segal (2016) said, the education system in Latin America is antiquated and uses a defective model. as a result, students are suffering the consequences; the Latin American students do not receive a quality education, and they achieve the minimum level of learning as shown by the results of the 2012 PISA TEST (para. 1). Ecuador need to change the system education, Ecuador need to focus and start from the bottom, this means that Ecuador need to start the change with the lowest level, from kinder garden, the children need to develop new skills related with creativity and team work, with these skills they will start to add great learning fundamentals, this will help them in their path of knowledge until their adulthood. The best way to try a change is adopting the Finland education system, which is the number 1 according 2012 PISA TEST. Because the Finnish education system is the number 1 all around the world, society thinks that their system education is strict, tedious and even boring for their students. However, the reality is the opposite, according to Dr. Tony Wagner from The Finland Phenomenon, children develop a certain kind of passion for learning and the reason is the environment, a safety, lovely and full of confidence environment between students, teachers, parents and government create the perfect environment for learn (Compton, 2011). Ecuadorian students can benefit from adopting Finlands education system in three ways: first, teachers will be more qualified, and thus incorporate more dynamic techniques; second, small classes will allow for personalized learning; and third, students will develop language and artistic skills from an early age. First of all, one of the greatest characteristic that Ecuador need to adopt form Finnish education system is lead to teach only hiring professionals qualified with a masters degree; according to William Doyle (2016), the minimum request for being a teacher in Finland is having a masters degree in education, in preference with specialization in research and classroom practice (para. 13). Teachers with higher degree of education greater number of knowledge, this is basically a fact. Due to teachers have a masters degree they know how to treat with their students, teachers can design and choose an ideal model of learning for their students with the final purpose to make easier the understanding of the knowledge imparted towards the students. The fact that teachers have a masters degree in education makes it possible for them to find the simplest, most dynamic and ideal way to get students to improve the way they absorb knowledge. Teachers besides of been fundamental is the educational aspect they are also fundamental in the emotional aspect. According to Edutopia Team (2005), one important role that teachers have is to coach a guide their students through their educative journey; teachers can manage the time reducing the lecturing time in classes for adding more time to mentoring them. (para. 8). Teachers can support to their students giving to them motivation for learning, for example putting an exercise and the first 3 students will have extra points, or giving candies for each question well attended. Having better academic preparation the teacher will be better able to adapt to the student and develop better learning methods. Second of all, A normal classroom in Ecuador is between 30 to 50 students, this fact makes to teachers more difficult to take control of the class in every aspect, as the behavior of the students or having enough time to address the doubts of all students. Meanwhile, in Finland the maximum capacity is around 20 students per each classroom, this characteristic can solve in an efficient way the problems previously mentioned. Also, a main idea is implement technological resources such as electronic devices as tools for teachers and students with the objective of develop the academic performance. It is a logical fact all around the world that while lower number of students in a classroom, higher quality of learning; how is this possible? Well, according to OCDE, There is a general perception thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the size of the class, understood as such, could be seen as an indicator of the quality of the education system. (Education Indicators in Focus, 2012). Third of all, the Finnish educational system has a solid base from the start of education in their youngest students, it means their kindergarten students develop many skills and habits for learning and behavior in-and-outside the class. Ecuador need change from the bottom of the academic pyramid. Starting with a whole change in the educational system with kindergarten students. Also, implementing the learning-through-play-based preschools and kindergartens. Ecuador can restructure the methodologies and contents of childrens centers throughout the country. After the process of restructuring Ecuador will be ready for a future with a solid educational structure that will allow a change with respect to the new generation to the previous generations, would be an educational revolution that has as a protagonist the kindergarten children as Finnish educational system. Besides the restructuration of the educational system, the other necessary change in Ecuador would be education of quality for everyone, it means that whoever can receive education independent from the economic or social situation. The final step of the restructuring in the educational system is to provide kindergarten students with skills and habits oriented and related to the educational world. According to William Doyle (2016), children in Finnish schools not only receive basic knowledge in math, language and science. Finnish children through learning-through-play-based preschools and kindergartens, this method is used to teach second languages, arts, physic education, ethics, between others. This kind of learning is necessary because children will be able to develop concentration and cognitive focus (para.21). These fundaments will allow to students an academic progress through their educational journey. In Summary, if well the educational system of Ecuador is not the worst all around the world, is one of the worst a Latin American level. Is for this reason that the Ecuadorian educational system need to change. Due to Finnish educational system is the number one worldwide, the most recommendable option is adopting fundamental principles and characteristics from Finnish educational system that allow it to be the best in the world. In this way, we can change the future of Ecuador. What Ecuador can adopt from the educational system of Finland are: master degree teachers, more qualified teachers will incorporate more dynamic techniques and better methods to improve the education. Also, developing arts and science skills in an early age with learning-through-play-based preschools and kindergartens will allow develop concentration and cognitive focus. Finally reducing the number of students per class and adding technological tools as personalized platforms where teachers and students can interact between them and the use of applications developed to teach, for example Duolingo that teach english. In this way with this options Ecuador can change in the educational field for better. References Education system of Finland. (2013, 25 June). [Documentary]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnRb_PtpN7I Segal, S. (2016, May 20). The case for disruption in Latin Americas classrooms. Mecd.gob.es. (2016). Citar un sitio web Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: http://www.mecd.gob.es/dctm/inee/indicator-in-focus/edif-2012n9-esp.pdf?documentId=0901e72b814703c2 [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016]. Edutopia. (2016). Big Ideas for Better Schools: Ten Ways to Improve Education. [online] Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/big-ideas-better-schools [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016]. The Hechinger Report. (2016). How Finland broke every rule and created a top school system The Hechinger Report. [online] Available at: http://hechingerreport.org/how-finland-broke-every-rule-and-created-a-top-school-system/ [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016].

Effects of Isolation in the Older Person

Effects of Isolation in the Older Person John Burke   Introduction: My assignment will focus on the isolation of the older person in Ireland today. I will be researching and investigating all aspects of these involving reasons, causes, affects and how we as a Society can assist or even alleviate this issue in Ireland. This topic is of particular interest to me due to my own personal circumstances growing up in rural Ireland with my grandparents and family and at present my own elderly parents. They are lucky in a sense that they have continued family support and we care for them on an on-going basis. This kind of family support alleviates isolation but unfortunately such support can be the exception rather than the rule. In a recent study of elderly people living in Ireland the majority do not feel isolated or cut off but a significant minority approx. 50,000 have hardly any contact with others and are very isolated as a result. A report from the National Council on Ageing and Older People (NCAOP) shows that as people get older they can have help from their families, neighbours and even friends. These people find themselves in some form of isolation for various reasons. Isolation in the elderly is usually involuntary but at the same time be self-imposed. People in this group are likely to be single or widowed women especially over the age of 80 and in poor health. They also tend to be less well educated usually to primary school level only. They could find themselves in a very low social situation. Such factors contribute to making our elderly exposed to illness, personal crisis example death of spouse or loved one. On reading and researching the report it also shows and notes that other older people who are more likely to experience isolation are those who live in rented accommodation or those who live with relatives in rural areas. According to the findings, accessibility to transport is a vital factor in facilitating good social contacts with family, friends and the community in general. As a result, people who have no access to transport report significantly higher levels of loneliness. Meanwhile those least likely to report high levels of loneliness include married people, those living in urban areas with access to public or private transport and those on higher levels of income. For the majority of older people (80%), their nearest relative lives within a five-mile radius. The member of their family that tends to provide the most support is an adult child, usually a daughter. Elderly people when asked will comment that getting out as being a very important factor in facilitating social int eraction. Those who were unable to get or be out independently said that this caused feelings of loneliness and isolation. Older women meanwhile were more likely than older men to report social and emotional loneliness because of isolation. Our elderly folks have many needs as they get to the end of their lives. Having a good amount of awareness about various needs and requirements of the elders, is extremely important for those people who have the responsibility of taking care of their aged family members like, their parents or relatives. Our elderly folks have serious needs be it Social, Finance, Housing, Transportation, Health, Nursing and in todays environment Cultural. Reasons for isolation: There are many reasons for isolation in the elderly! Circumstances like no family contact or family rows. Nobody calls anymore and a fear of crime. Reasons of cannot function or be mobile anymore. People get negative and withdraw from social activities or human contact. Our older generation get frail and health declines as a result. Their usual contacts become absent or do not get involved anymore. They can suffer economically too even in todays environment can lead to being alone and unable to cope. Being unmarried or childlessness can be a cause for social isolation. Whether their child is deceased or they did not have children at all, the loneliness that comes from not having a child can cause social isolation.Retirement, which takes away a daily routine abruptly, and loss contact of fellow employees plus a death of close friends contribute to isolation of some kind. Bad financial circumstances can also add to isolation. No savings or having bad pensions to support their futures. The sudden death of a loved one also adds to social isolation. For example, if an individual loses a spouse, they lose their social support. They now must find some other kind of support to help them through this fragile time. Studies have showed that widows that keep in contact with friends or relatives have better psychological health even if they find themselves in isolation. As part of my investigation into this subject, I interviewed my father, 81 years, and his neighbour; 75 years (Bachelor) after my parents hosted the traditional House Stations Mass. I asked the question on reasons for isolation in the elderly and in addition to the usual ones mentioned earlier both men referred to the Country Mobile Shop, which no longer exists, and the decision of An Post to place post boxes at top of rural roads and driveways. Both of these examples can lead to isolation situations in our Elderly people who love conversations, gossip, and above all social contact. In my youth, I was a member of the Legion of Mary and one of our important roles was Visitation of the Elderly in the Parish. These people loved the visits which could last for hours. They thrived in contact and conversations which was at that time weekly. We did not realise it then but we found ourselves in a Carer role with our elderly neighbours. They would have confidence in their younger visitors and would unwind with cups of tea, advice, stories, songs, poetry and even teach us to card play. Effects of isolation: One of the greatest effects of isolation in the elderly is loneliness and a lot of our older people are suffering from loneliness these days. Loneliness is a major problem that affects older people. Folks in their seventies and beyond have issues of loneliness more so than their younger counterparts do. Types of loneliness-connected problems are far worse today than they were back in the 60s, 70s, or 80s. Loneliness is not a new issue. Older folks of ages and nationalities today are worse off. It affects all people but more affected are the elderly. People of all ages and nationalities face it from time to time. While loneliness can affect all people, the older people are the worst affected. Part of this problem can be attributed to the rise of nuclear families. By such reference I mean Families or elementary families consisting of a pair of adults and their children. Families in Ireland and all over the world are becoming smaller and smaller. While youngsters who spend a considerable part of their away from home have plenty of opportunities to socialize, their older parents and grandparents have few outing options which severely limit their chances of interacting with other people. To overcome loneliness older people must keep themselves engaged in meaningful activities. They can go for a walk in the morning or in the evening. It will give them physical exercise. It will also give them an opportunity to meet and interact with other people. They can join clubs or they can pursue other interests. By keeping active they constantly engaged in something or other they can overcome loneliness and isolation. Also where possible when they are physically fit they will feel better about themselves and that will add a whole new layer of meaning to their lives. Another serious effect of isolation is depression and despair. These people as a result of depression and despair acquire ill health and have a bad quality of live due to their illness Depression and despair are serious effects of isolation and can lead to ill health amongst our elderly. Conclusion / Recommendations The HSE despite financial constraints and government cut backs is a huge and vital organisation in caring for our elderly. Healthy elderly people who find themselves in isolation must have access to services and supports. Day care centres for example are important for the isolated elderly as it provides them with access to facilities such as contact with people, activities of dining, bingo, card playing, and adult learning. Home Help provision is another aspect of reducing isolation in the elderly. This involves helping with good housekeeping. There are a number of aspects that are involved in taking care of elderly or aged people. Having a good amount of awareness about various needs and requirements of the elders, is extremely important for those people who have the responsibility of taking care of their aged family members like, their parents or relatives. This type of assistance and help that elderly people commonly require, in addition to a few elderly special needs is very cruc ial in lower or alleviating isolation. The HSE try to encourage and provide age-friendly initiatives for all seniors, regardless of their location. Specifically, they seek to improve transportation, housing, social inclusion, community support and health services. In addition, paying attention to the person who is socially isolated can make a difference. Taking a day to spend time with someone can change his or her perspective on life. Care Support organisations like Comfort Keepers that I have started to work for are also vital components in helping to reduce isolation of elderly people. A recent client of mine resides in the last house of a Parish and also the last house of his specific village road so our Health Care Support roles and visits are such a great asset towards reducing isolation. As a HCA my involvement whether its as an employee or a family support member is a crucial role for the future. References / Bibliography: www.irishhealth.com www.hse.ie www.ageaction.ie http://www.irishhealth.com/site_map.html Interview Work Case Study Client. Cacioppo, J (2008), Loneliness, Human Nature and the need for Social Connection. New York: W.W.Norton

Pythagoras :: essays research papers

Pythagoras   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pythagoras was a very significant person in the history of the world. He made many contributions to the fields of math, music, and astronomy. Pythagoras's teachings and beliefs that were once taught by him in his own school in ancient Greece, are still taught today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The thing that Pythagoras is probably the most famous for is the Pythagorean Theorem. The Pythagorean Theorem is used in the field of mathematics and it states the following: the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the two other sides. This means that if one makes a square (with all sides equal in length) out of a triangle with a right angle, the areas of the squares made from the two shorter sides, when added together, equal the area of the square made from the long side. Another geometrical discovery made by Pythagoras is that the diagonal of a square is not a rational multiple of its side. The latter discovery proved the existence of irrational numbers and therefore changed the entire Greek mathematical belief that whole numbers and their ratios could account for geometrical properties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another contribution of Pythagoras and his follower is that of music. Pythagoras essentially created music in that he discovered the way it works. Pythagoras noticed that vibrating strings produce harmonious tones when the ratios of the lengths of the strings are whole numbers. After making this discovery, he found that these same ratios could be extended further to other instruments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pythagoras was one of the first to teach that the Earth was at the center of the universe. He was also one of the first to teach that the world was round, an idea not to be proven for almost another one thousand years. Pythagoras also discovered that the orbit of the moon is inclined to the equator of the Earth. He also was the first person to make the connection that Venus as

An Assessment of the Poetry of Robert Frost Essay -- Poetry Robert Lee

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature is beautiful in every aspect, but as nature changes with every season, beauty and innocence in human life is much the same as the years progress. Robert Lee Frost uses nature in such a profound approach; every aspect of nature can someway correlate with any characteristic of life. Whether it is the beauty in nature signifying the joy and happiness that every person experiences, or it be the traumatic losses and disappointments that may lead to ultimate failure or destruction, Robert Frost illustrates life, love and loss in the most natural and beautiful way feasible. His style is uniquely his own, and his themes are ones that many people can relate to on countless levels, which is what made Frost so popular during his lifetime, and has continued four decades after his death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost was born March 26 1874 in San Francisco where he spent the first eleven years of his life until his father died. It was then that he moved with his family to Lawrence, Massachusetts. While in high school in Lawrence, Frost fell in love with Elinor White, they became engaged and married in 1896 (the same year that their son Elliott was born). After withdrawing from Harvard in 1897, the Frost’s moved to a farm in Methuen, Massachusetts, and began raising poultry. Three years later Elliott died, along with Frost’s mother. Frost and his family then bought a farm in Derry, where they settled down, and Frost began writing. Robert and Elinor Frost had three more children before losing another infant in 1907. In 1912, Frost became irritated with his failure at success, and moved his family to England. This move proved to be successful when Frost’s first book A Boy’s Will was published in 1913, followed by North of Boston in 1914; b oth books appeared in the United States as well by the time that the Frost family returned in 1915. In 1938 Frost lost his wife to illness. New Hampshire garnered Frost the first of his unmatched four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry, followed by Frost's Collected Poems in 1930, A Further Range in 1936, and A Witness Tree in 1942. Frost’s crowning public moment was his recitation of "The Gift Outright" at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in January of 1960. He died on January 29, 1963. Robert Frost lived a very long and often tragic life. He suffered unreasonable guilt, and blamed himself for everything that went wrong. Robert Frost loved his f... ... to gain wisdom. This wisdom should not be what the speaker feels in the last line, that innocence is great and loss of it is to be mourned. This wisdom is in the title of the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Here is Frost telling the speaker to understand that this is the natural way, and so there is no point in fighting it or being sad about it. In fact, within every leaf is just a leaf...meaning without the gold there is no green, without dawn there is no day, without death there is no birth. It is just the way it is and so we better love it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost’s poems are beautifully written, and offer such a deep insight into life, and nature. His work connects to readers on virtually every level of consciousness, and generates readers to understand that their feelings are not rare. Everyone experiences the same emotions, and must overcome many of the same situations in life; but his poems almost bring the sense of possibility. Frost may have become popular at the dawn of the nineteenth century, his life may have ended almost half a century ago, but his poems are still as distinguished as they were before his death, and they will continue to be popular for many years to come.

The Three Character Traits of Macbeth

Macbeth bumped Into three witches after his battle. The three witches tell Macbeth he will become thaln of cawdor and glamls, and then king. He then becomes the thaln which opened up an opportunity for him to become king. He then writes a letter to his wife in which he wrote to her about everything that was going on and she decides they need to kill the king in order for him to seize the throne. Macbeth kills the king but his wife has to return the daggers to the guards, to frame them for the crime, because Macbeth did not.After all that the King Duncans' sons run away becuase they fear that they were gonna be put to blame. Macbeth then becomes king. Once he became king, he did not want anyone else to have the same power as him or to do the same thing to him, as he did to King Duncan. Also he remembers one of the prophecies of the witch where they told Banquo the his children will be king. So he then orders the murderers to kill his best friend, Banquo and his son, Fleance . Macbeth is then haunted by Banquos ghost at his party.After all that he goes back to the witches and he sees three things; a bloody baby saying â€Å"beware Macduff, a bloody helmet saying that he cant be killed by anyone born of a woman, nd a child with a crown and a tree branch saying that he does not need to worry till the Birnam woods moves to Dunsinane. Macbeth started to worry and demanded Macduff and all his family killed, but Macduff left already. Lady Macbeth starts getting crazy and comitts suicide. Macduff heads over to Macbeths' castle with the army to kill him. Macbeth is killed, and gets his head cut off by Macduff.Macuff was born by C-section which was not considered to be born of a woman. One of the aspects that Macbeth grasps to make him an antagonist Is greediness. The three witches that he met In the beginning told him his prophecy, which Is that he Is going to be the future king of Scotland, † All hall, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter† (l, l†, 53 ). At first he doesn't believe the prophecy at all and thought that they were being foolish. But then the predlctlon of the witches starts to come true after being persuaded by his wife, Lady Macbeth, that he had to take some steps to make It come true.Once the first prophecy came true, he wanted all the prophecies of the witches to come true. Once Macbeth Is king, he becomes one of the most owerful person in his land, yet he still demands for more respect and power and does not want anyone to nave any part In It. 10 make tnls nappen ne KIIls Banquo, nls best friend, so he wouldn't create a line of king as it was one of the witches prophecy and attempts to kill Banquo's son, Fleance, however he escapes. Macbeth was told by the witches that no human born from a women, that is everyone, could kill him. Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn, The power of man, for none of woman born, Shall harm Macbeth† (‘V, i, 85). Macbeth believes this and gets greedy making im tru st that no one could kill him. Overall this proves that Macbeth is definitely a greedy person in this play. Another open feature that Macbeth is distinguished for is ambition. Macbeth wants to prove to his wife that he is the one that she desires for and to do that, he listens to whatever she has to say. He is so deeply in love with his wife and ambitious towards her that he starts committing dangerous and risky crimes.Macbeth is also very ambitious towards becoming king. In order to become king he had to kill King Duncan. † I go, and it is done; the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell; That summons thee to heaven, or to hell† ( II, i, 69). This quote indicates that it is time to kill King Duncan. He is also speaking to Duncan though he is not actually present. He tells the imaginary Duncan to not pay attention to the bell as it marks his death and therefore will send him to either hell or heaven. Again, Macbeth was very ambitious in becoming king but he is also ambitious to remain king.He kills Banquo so that no could take over his position as king. â€Å"It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul's flight; If it finds heaven, must find it out tonight† ( Ill, i, 157). This quote is saying Macbeth has made all the arrangements of the murder Banquo's and that he is going to heaven or hell because he is dying tonight. After that he also finds out the one of Banquo's children would be king, so his ambition towards remaining king leads him to kill Banquo's son, Fleance, however Fleance escapes and is never heard after that incident.To sum it up, ambition is definitely a character trait in this play. Finally, the third character trait of Macbeth is bravery. It is barely noticeable in Macbeth but he is recognized for it. Macbeth at first seemed to be a courageous, rave and capable warrior who would risk anything for his country. At the beginning of the play Macbeth's skills and strength saved the day on the battlefield. † For brav e Macbeth -well he deserves that name-; Disdaining fortune with his brandish'd steel† ( l,ii, 18).The quote shows that Macbeth is brave and he is the one who helped defeat Sweno, the king of Norway. Macbeth also shows bravery because he goes after what he wants and accomplishes it. For instance, Macbeth wanted to become king, to do that he bravely killed King Duncan which is evil but it shows that he would do anything to full fill his desire. Macbeth is brave near the end because when all of his prophecies were finished, he still fought Macduff. † Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb; Untimely ripp'd† ( V, viii, 19).The witches said that no human born from a women could kill Macbeth and Macduff said that he was delivered prematurely. So according to the witches prophecies he is able to kill Macbeth. Thus bravery is definitely one of the character traits of Macbeth in this play. In conclusion Macbeth is a person who is consistently stuck in ugly situations. respectful towards the king by winning the important battle and the war but also rutal and cruel because after he killing Macdonwald by slicing him from his middle to his Jaws and placed his head on a stick.Macbeth was also everybody's hero for winning the war. He was also a good friend to Banquo, in fact they were best friends. But then Macbeth changed, he become greedy. He met these three witches who completely changed his life When he was not happy and satisfied with what he had, Macbeth felt that he had to move up a level and become king. Macbeth was confused at first and was not sure if he should kill the king or not, started to argue to himself if e should stay on the good side or move to the bad side.He told his wife, Lady Macbeth, everything and she started to convince him to kill King Duncan and seize the throne. After all of this, once he becomes king, he becomes crazy when he sees blood on his hand and started to think that he can not get rid of the blood on his hands af ter killing the king. After that he is heartless and started to kill every single person who dared to cross his path or anyone that he suspects is a threat. Macbeth is ambitious to be totally in control. Macbeth without a doubt was out of control and vil when he kills Macduffs' children and wife.He is also very self assured and brave because he refuses to run away when an army is attacking his castle. But after all that, he still shows some kindness towards Macduff by saying that he does not want to kill him before he is killed by him. Although Macbeth would have been a great and brave king, it was the manipulation of his wife and the three witches that led him to an evil path. He became a greedy and very ambitious king. After a while, because of his fearlessness, he died devastatingly. words: 1539

In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner

In â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† William Faulkner explores what encourages and what happens due to insanity. Emily Grierson’s life is narrated through, we can assume, a member of the community to which she belonged— â€Å"belongedâ€Å" is used   because she is already deceased at the beginning of the short story. Faulkner avoids telling the story chronologically and instead tells us about Emily’s past in a way similar to the way the human mind works—a series of memories all jumbled up.Emily, we find out, lived a life under an overly controlling father—she practically had no social life to speak of. Her father was basically the only person in her life so it is not surprising—although shocking—that she clings to him even after he dies. Upon his death, she goes out in the town and defies the set rules of society by seeing a man under her status. Fraternizing with this man, Homer Barron, may have had a positive impact on her life; h owever, Homer is â€Å"not a marrying man† (29), which turns out to be absolutely devastating for Emily. Emily, we can conclude from her father’s death, does not deal well with strife.The heartbreak is too much for her and causes her madness to lash out. Emily’s yearning for someone to love combined with her insanity leads her to commit deeds that a sane person would never do such as killing a man, leaving the decaying body in her house, lying next to the corpse, and perhaps even committing acts of necrophilia. Looking at Emily’s story, it is quite frightening to think of the extent of damage that madness can compel people to inflict. It is very probable that Emily did not realize how horrific her actions were.  Truth to tell William Faulkner’s â€Å" A Rose for Emily† is an incredibly fascinating story about a woman who practiced necrophilia. The story is about a woman who poison's her boyfriend and keeps his body in a bed in her upstairs room for decades. No one ever exits or enters her old house except for her negro manservant.And what is necrophilia, exactly and how do we prove by using the text of   â€Å" A Rose for Emily†Ã‚   that indeed, Emily Grierson was a necrophiliac? Necrophilia for Mirriam-Webster would mean, â€Å"obsession with an usually erotic interest   in corpses or erotic interest in the stimulation by corpses†.   Medical dictionaries would define â€Å"necrophilism† to be , â€Å"1. A morbid fondness for being in the presence of dead bodies,   and   2. The impulse to have sexual contact, or the act of such contact, with a dead body, usually of males with female corpses.†Necrophilia can best be described as sexual arousal stimulated by a dead body. The stimulation can be either in the form of fantasies or actual physical sexual contact with the corpse.   Legends with necrophilic themes are common throughout history and the concept of sexual interference wit h the dead has been known and abhorred since the ancient Egyptians, as noted by Herodotus:â€Å"When the wife of a distinguished man dies, or any woman who happens to be beautiful or well known, her body is not given to the embalmers immediately, but only after the lapse of three or four days. This is a precautionary measure to prevent the embalmers from violating her corpse, a thing which is actually said to have happened in the case of a woman who had just died.†The symptoms of necrophilia are as follows: necrophilia are the presence, over a period of at least six months, of recurrent and intense urges and sexually arousing fantasies involving corpses which are either acted upon or have been markedly distressing. And the manifestations are said to be characterized by the following data. There is a broad spectrum of necrophilic behaviors, ranging from fantasies alone to murder for the sake   of procuring a dead body.   Faulkner’s Emily did commit murder in order t o have   a dead man’s body to sleep beside with, â€Å" I want arsenic,† (28) Emily tells the druggist in Faulkner’s story. That she is about to commit murder is only implied, and the truth is seen towards the end of the narrative.Experts have subcategorized the paraphilia according to where it falls on that spectrum. â€Å"Necrophilic fantasies† of corpses, never acted upon, still fall within the scope of necrophilia and some authors have categorized this as a â€Å"neurotic equivalent† to necrophilia. â€Å" Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair.† (31) In this quote, the readers can deduce that, at the very least, Emily had lain beside the dead body of Homer Barron.â€Å"Pseudonecrophilia† describes isolated incidents where the sexual contact with the corpse may happen without pre-existing fantasies or desire to have sexual contact with the body. Even in its truest form, necrophilia can be quite varied, ranging from simply being in the presence of a corpse to kissing, fondling or performing sexual intercourse or cunnilingus on the body. The presence of other paraphilias or personality disorders, however, can manifest in more grotesque or sadistic elements such as mutilation of the corpse, drinking the blood or urine, or homicide (â€Å"necrophilic homicide† or â€Å"necrosadism†).The latter is the most disturbing end of the spectrum. Although assumed rare, many have argued that necrophilia may be more prevalent than statistics imply, given that the act would be carried out in secret with a victim unable to complain and given the length of time which the paraphilia has been recognized.   Ã‚  But if Emily had used arsenic to poison and murder Homer, then she could not have been capable of performing an act of necrophilic homicide, for, how many times can you poison an already deceased and poisoned man?Although the act of murder itself may generate the subsequent sexual frenzy, research has determined an alarming rate of homicide in order to obtain a body for subsequent sexual violation. Rosman and Resnick   int their study, â€Å"Necrophilia: An analysis of 122 cases involving necrophilic acts and fantasies† found that 42% of their study sample of necrophiles had murdered in order to obtain a body.Researchers have determined, however, that sadism itself is not usually an intrinsic characteristic of true necrophilia. (74) In all cases, there is undoubtedly sexual preference for a corpse rather than a living woman.   And this is what makes William Faulkner’s Emily, unique. In the plot is a reversal of the symptoms manifest   that is â€Å"usual† in the cases of necrophilia. Emily, is a woman, who preferred the company and sexual â€Å"comfort† of a dea d man.When no other act of cruelty – cutting into pieces etc., – is practiced on the corpse, it is probable that the lifeless condition itself, forms the stimulus for the perverse individual. Homer Barron, as implied in the story, was maybe going to flee Emily, hence she resorted to murder by poison, â€Å"   When she had first begun to be seen with Homer Barron, we had said, â€Å" She will marry him.†Ã‚   Then we said, â€Å" She will persuade him yet,†Ã‚  Ã‚   because Homer   himself had remarked- he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks Club- that he was not a marrying man. (29)Kraft-Ebing   states in his, â€Å"Psychopathia sexualis†   It is possible that the corpse – a human form absolutely without will – satisfies an abnormal desire, in that the object of desire is seen to be capable of absolute subjugation, without possibility of resistance (89).What happened after the incident of the poisoning can only be guessed at, but in this telling of the life of Emily Grierson there is proof, that Emily as able to â€Å"persuade† –â€Å" her† Homer Barron, only that he was not someone hard to persuade, he was already dead, after all, â€Å" The violence of breaking down the door seemed to fill this room with pervading dust.A thin, acrid pall as of the tomb seemed to lie everywhere upon this room decked and furnished as for a bridal: upon the valance curtains of faded rose color, upon the rose-shaded lights, upon the dressing table, upon the delicate array of crystal and the man’s toilet things backed with tarnished silver, silver so tarnished that the monogram was obscured. Among them lay a tie, as if they had just been removed, which, lifted, left upon the surface a pale crescent in the dust.† (30)Most individuals have been reported to be heterosexual. This was not a sick and twisted scenario meant to be feasted on by literary critic s who work with queer gender theory, Emily was not gay, Homer could have been, but, â€Å" Upon a chair hung the suit, carefully folded; beneath it the two mute shoes and the discarded socks. The man himself lay in bed. (30)†Ã‚   –yes, Homer was a man, he was Emily’s man.As with the other paraphilias, necrophilia often occurs in conjunction with other paraphilias. Again, readers can only make intelligent inferences as to how, just exactly, did the things of Homer( made of silver ) get to become so tarnished, if by air corrosion alone? Could it be that at some point or the other, Emily infused them with fluids from her body, through acts that are too â€Å" horrifying† to speak of in this paper, but you get the picture.The individual should be assessed for associated psychopathology and treated accordingly. Treatment for necrophilia would be similar to that prescribed for most paraphilias: cognitive therapy, use of sex-drive reducing medications, assistanc e with improving social and sexual relations, etc. Sadly, Emily could not have been treated, she had chosen to isolation after her crime, â€Å" Now and then, we would see her at a window for a moment, as the men did that night when they sprinkled lime , but for almost six months, she did not appear on the streets. (29) For that time on her front door remained closed, save for a period of six and seven years, when she was about forty, during which she gave lessons in china painting (29).In conclusions then, there really is enough evidence in the text that Emily Grierson [ of William Faulkner ] had managed to make herself the necrophilic lover of Mr. Homer Barron.  And so , the world can only offer, â€Å" a rose† for Emily, for she can no longer answer for her gruesome acts, not that she ever could.WORKS CITED:Cole, Isaac, ed. â€Å" The Life and   Works of Herodotus.†Ã‚  Ã‚   New Land Press: London, 1990.Faulkner, William. â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† Literatu re: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama Interactive Edition. Eds. Kennedy, X.J and Gioia Dana. United States: Pearson Longman. 2005. 29 – 36.Krafft-Ebing, R. von. â€Å" Psychopathia sexualis.†New York: Stein & Day, 1986, (Original work published in 1886)Rosman, J. & Resnick, P. â€Å"Necrophilia: An analysis of 122 cases involving necrophilic acts and fantasies†. Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law,1989.

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

In 1947 Donat O’Donnell wrote that â€Å"far more than the left-wing militancy of such poets as Auden and Spender†¦ the thrillers of Mr. Greene reflect the state of the West European mind in the thirties. † (25). For O'Donnell, Greene is â€Å"the most truly characteristic writer of the ‘thirties ir England, and the leading novelist of that time and place† (28). What Greene draws attention to in his novels from the period is, as McEwen notes, the condition of violence and savagery repressed beneath a seeming peace.Greene’s work such as Brighton Rock used the apparatus of the thriller to expose and investigate contemporary social problems; these novels are vehicles for social commentary particularly in the implicit equation they make between the violence and cruelty of their protagonists, Raven and Pinkie, and the background of poverty against which they are presented. This paper analyses Brighton Rock through a prism of narrative theory. In addi tion some socio-philosophical implications are discussed.Analysis In Brighton Rock Pinkie's gang murders Hale but only after he has made the acquaintance of Ida Arnold, a fun-loving pragmatist who repeatedly insists on her knowledge of the difference between right and wrong. Responding to an irrational compulsion—she calls herself a â€Å"sticker where right's concerned† (16)—she investigates Hale's death, seeking to bring Pinkie to justice and to save Rose the suffering that Pinkie will inflict upon her.Like Mather, Ida, despite fulfilling the role of the detective, is mocked by the narrative: her inability to see beneath the surface of things severely limits her understanding of the case and of the world she inhabits. Brighton for her is a place of fun and excitement, and life is always â€Å"good† (19, 72): â€Å"I always say it's fun to be alive† (17). The dark side, both of life and of the city with its beggars and its crime, is completely ali en to her (73):Death shocked her, life was so important. She wasn't religious. She didn't believe in heaven or hell, only in ghosts, ouija boards, tables which rapped . . . but to her death was the end of everything. . . . Life was sunlight on brass bedposts, Ruby port, the leap of the heart when the outsider you have backed passes the post and the colours go bobbing up. Life was poor Fred's mouth pressed down on hers in the taxi, vibrating with the engine along the parade. . .. she took life with deadly seriousness: she was prepared to cause any amount of unhappiness to anyone in order to defend the only thing she believed in. (36) Both her naive optimism, which has â€Å"something dangerous and remorseless† (36) in it, and her spiritual blindness prevent her from understanding Pinkie and Rose and account for the ironic tone that dominates many of the descriptions of Ida: Ida Arnold was on the right side. She was cheery, she was healthy, she could get a bit lit with the best of them.She liked a good time, her big breasts bore their carnality frankly down the Old Steyne, but you had only to look at her to know that you could rely on her. She wouldn't tell tales to your wife, she wouldn't remind you next morning of what you wanted to forget, she was honest, she was kindly, she belonged to the great middle law-abiding class, her amusements were their amusements, her superstitions their superstitions (the planchette scratching the French polish on the occasional table, and salt over the shoulder), she had no more love for anyone than they had. (80)This kind of mockery has led numerous critics to denigrate Ida for her lack of spiritual awareness (she boasts to Rose that â€Å"It's the world we got to deal with† [198]) and to elevate Pinkie to tragic stature because he professes a belief in a divine order (â€Å"it's the only thing that fits† [52], he says) wherein the crucial difference is not between right and wrong but between Good and Evil. In that Rose shares Pinkie's knowledge, she and Pinkie are presented both in the text and in critical discussions as morally superior to Ida and other characters like her such as Dallow, Cubitt, Colleoni, and Phil Corkery.The point is made particularly clear in comments made by Rose to Pinkie and in exchanges between Ida and Rose: â€Å"I only came here for your sake. I wouldn't have troubled to see you first, only I don't want to let the Innocent suffer†Ã¢â‚¬â€the aphorism came clicking out like a ticket from a slot machine. â€Å"Why, won't you lift a finger to stop him killing you? † â€Å"He wouldn't do me any harm. † â€Å"You're young. You don't know things like I do. † â€Å"There's things you don't know. † she brooded darkly by the bed while the woman argued on: a God wept in a garden and cried out upon a cross; Molly Carthew went to everlasting fire.â€Å"I know one thing you don't. I know the difference between Right and Wrong. They di dn't teach you that at school. † Rose didn't answer; the woman was quite right; the two words meant nothing to her. Their taste was extinguished by stronger foods—Good and Evil. The woman could tell her nothing she didn't know about these—she knew by tests as clear as mathematics that Pinkie was evil—what did it matter in that case whether he was right or wrong? (198) As is illustrated here, the narrative frequently contrasts two distinct views of the world—the secular outlook of Ida and others and the religious perception of Rose and Pinkie.From a social perspective there is no escaping the fact that Pinkie's evil makes him a criminal. However, as with Raven, Pinkie's guilt is mitigated by a background of poverty (â€Å"Man is made by the places in which he lives,† the text tells us [37]) and by the presence of Colleoni, a self-described â€Å"business man† (64), who, though the leader of a vast criminal organization, is also well reg arded by the Brighton police and by the Conservative party which seeks to persuade him into politics (159).As for Ida, whatever her shortcomings, she succeeds in her task of ridding society of Pinkie's menace, although the conditions that produced Pinkie, the source of the evil, remain. On one level, then, Ida is the instrument of law and order who brings about the socially desirable end, the social good, that Rose, representative of a religious or spiritual Good, cannot. Ida is, in this respect, a figure of the law defending a secular middle-class vision of society that relies on human justice which, as we have noted, Greene sees as both limited and limiting.On the other hand, criticism of Ida often seems to have at its root a prejudice against the detective story because it is a popular form of literature. Ida, herself, is strongly tied to popular culture, and in many respects she represents a populist spirit. The text tells us that â€Å"She was of the people, she cried in cinem as at David Copperfield, when she was drunk all the old ballads her mother had known came easily to her lips, her homely heart was touched by the word ‘tragedy'† (32). Similarly, her bed-sitting room contains the trappings of popular culture and an assortment of popular literature:pieces of china bought at the seaside, a photograph of Tom, an Edgar Wallace, a Netta Syrett from a second-hand stall, some sheets of music, The Good Companions, her mother's picture, more china, a few jointed animals made of wood and elastic, trinkets given her by this, that and the other, Sorrell and Son, the Board. (42) In one sense then, her success represents the triumph, albeit limited, of the popular. However, for critics like R. W. B. Lewis, Ida's â€Å"popular heart† (34) and her role as the investigating detective underpin the condemnation of her character and the neglect of her function in the book.In Lewis's eyes, the Ida Arnold plot threatens Brighton with the disaster of be ing two different books under the same cover (244): â€Å"The entertainment is Ida's; it begins with the first sentence . . . The tragedy is Pinkie's; it begins more subtly in the atmosphere of place† (243). As these remarks imply, not to condemn Ida is to elevate in their importance the book's detective-story aspects-something Lewis cannot and will not do. We can see in Brighton Rock how the detective story complements and underscores the narrative of Pinkie's religious struggle.To be fair, however, Lewis does recognize the interdependence of the two stories, despite his perception of â€Å"generic confusion† in the novel (239) the relation between the detective story and the tragedy expresses exactly what Brighton Hock is finally all about. It is a relation between modes of narrative discourse that reflects a relation between two kinds or levels of reality: a relation between incompatible worlds; between the moral world of right and wrong, to which Ida constantly and confidently appeals, and the theological world of good and evil inhabited by Pinkie and Rose.(244) However, we might add to these remarks that the relation between the two modes of narrative discourse can also be read as an inscription of the relationship between popular discourse and serious discourse. In the pure classical detective story that Todorov describes, the story of the crime becomes present in the text only through the story of the investigation; that is, the crime takes place outside the frame of the narrative and all its details are revealed only in the course of the investigation.The events leading to the crime make up a story that is seen only through its periodic intrusion by means of clues, or ciphers, into the story of the investigation which we read: we find out about the one story in the telling of the other. As Todorov figures it, this pattern reveals the two aspects that the Russian formalists identify as part of any story—fabula and sjuzhet—whe re the fabula is revealed only through the sjuzhet while yet providing the sjuzhet with the material of its own existence.However, as we have noted, to determine which of these two precedes the other is a task fraught with ambiguity, and this ambiguity is reflected in Brighton Rock's departures from the paradigm of the classical detective story. This ambiguity emerges in the novel's handling of the mechanics of the classical detective story's structure: Ida explicitly begins her pursuit at the place from which Hale disappeared (81) and then works to reconstruct the crime which, as even Pinkie realizes (86), is the standard investigative process.In a general sense, Ida traces over the previously laid path of Pinkie and his gang—an activity that is consistent with the structural dynamics of the classical detective story plot—and so figures the actions of the sjuzhet (the discourse) upon the material of the fabula (the story). As well, her retracing figures the act of wri ting that produces narrative as a rewriting of a prior narrative which is repressed in the later narrative although its existence is revealed in the later narrative—the narrative of the investigation—through the presence of clues which are the tangible signs marking the return of the repressed.However, in Brighton Rock Ida's pursuit of Pinkie intensifies the story of Pinkie's efforts to avoid capture. As Ida proceeds in her reading or events—explicitly linked to her reading of an occult text (â€Å"Fresuicilleye†)—she uncovers indications of Pinkie's story marked in the narrative's details, which in more orthodox detective fiction are formalized as clues: things such as Hale's dislike of Bass beer and his confession that he was â€Å"going to die† (18) arouse Ida's â€Å"instincts† so that she senses that â€Å"there is something odd† about Hale's death (31).Late; details that come out after his death, such as the fact that he used a false name (31), had bruises on his arms (79), and left a restaurant without eating despite telling Ida he was hungry (33), confirm Ida's suspicions that something is puzzling about the death while, at the same time, they reveal details of Pinkie's story. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Ida's investigation of Hale's death forces Pinkie's actions.Since the official investigators agree that Hale died of natural causes, they have closed the case (78-80), which means that it is only Ida whom Pinkie has to fear. In an odd way, then, Ida's search originates, explains, and validates all of Pinkie's actions from his courtship of Rose to his murder of Spicer to his attempt to arrange Rose's suicide: as Dallow accuses Ida late in the novel, â€Å"this is your doing. You made him marry her, you made him . . . † (236).To be sure, Pinkie fears that the police may ask questions about the man who left the card at Snow's, but, as we realize, they do not and will not reo pen their inquiry. In their place, though, is Ida. In this sense, the detective story plot determines the course of Pinkie's story; although, conversely, it is Pinkie's story that gives rise to the detective narrative. The two lines of action are entangled in each other with each standing as the origin of the other.Indeed, the question of origin is complicated further by the fact that the disturbance that excites the narrative of Brighton Rock into being—the murder of Hale—is considered an act of revenge: the initial action occurs in response to an earlier action—the murder of Kite—the story of which, though sporadically erupting into Pinkie's story (63, 218-19), lies in another narrative, another text; as the text explicitly remarks, â€Å"The whole origin of the thing was lost† (217).As a model of narrative mechanics, then, Brighton Rock, figures narrative's ability to perpetuate itself by inscribing within itself two separate narrative strands t hat generate and then feed on each other. Since Pinkie's story—the story of the crime—sparks Ida's story into life and since her investigation determines the content of Pinkie's story, each story can be seen as the origin of the other as each lies behind the other. Ida's investigation uncovers the contents of Pinkie's story, but his narrative also becomes the means by which Ida's story is discovered.To illustrate with just one example of how this works one can look at part 4, section 1 (99-120), where Pinkie and Spicer are at the race track. Although the storyline in the foreground involves Pinkie's betrayal of Spicer to Colleoni's men, one glimpses the other narrative line involving Ida. Spicer tells Pinkie about a woman who â€Å"backed Black Boy for a pony† (103). One then finds out that Black Boy won the race, and again Spicer mentions the woman who now has won so much money (104); the narrative goes on to report that Pinkie â€Å"heard a laugh, a female la ugh† which is attributed to the same woman (104-105).She is, of course, Ida, who bets on Hale's tip and so wins enough money to persist in the investigation. In this example one sees how the story of detection is revealed in the telling of Pinkie's story. Another way for us to see the relationship between the two narratives of Ida and Pinkie, of investigation and crime, is to think of either narrative strand as the repressed content of the other: each reveals its presence in intermittent clues that surface into the respective narrative.However, whichever way one chooses to view Brighton Rock again depends on one's point of view, but ultimately one is looking at the same thing. Greene reflects the indeterminate nature of narrative origins in his handling of the classical detective story's structure. As Brighton Rock stands, the story of the detection is interrupted by the story of the criminal, which reveals details of the crime; the two stories are presented in roughly alterna ting chapters occurring more or less along a shared timeline.The reader, then, gains knowledge of the circumstances of Hale's death from two sources, the chapters dealing with Ida and the chapters dealing with Pinkie. The two stories of the investigation and the crime become blurred in the novel as each begins to include the other. As if to underscore this blending of narrative, it is notable that the novel's first scene places Pinkie, Ida and Hale in the same room: murderer, detective, and victim have their stories begin at the same time in the same place. The novel figures, then, the indeterminate nature of narrative origin from its outset.Because Ida's investigation of events, metaphorically figured in her reading of an occult text, both reveals and determines the text she reads, we also see in Brighton Rock how the perceiving subject effects what it perceives, and in terms of reading the implications of this action are complex. On one level, reading a text actualizes that text f or the reader by inscribing it in the reader's consciousness where it previously did not exist. At the same time, the reader sees in the text what he or she is, in a sense, programmed to see through his or her experience of the â€Å"already-read†.This phenomenon lies behind the differing judgments on Brighton Rock: probable or improbable plot, proletarian novel or moral allegory, detective story or religious drama, light fiction or serious literature, entertainment or tragedy, and so on. However it is seen, the novel is the product of an interpretive act. Brighton Rock shows us both how these differences are generated and how they coexist within the textual field of the novel. The question of how texts are read is one of the issues at the heart of Brighton Rock.Perhaps more than in other detective stories, Brighton Rock foregrounds the reading process as a concern from the first page when we find Hale as Kolley Kibber following a route (itself prescribed by a text) through B righton in search of someone with a copy of The Daily Messenger in hand who can repeat a prepared text: â€Å"You are Mr. Kolley Kibber. I claim the Daily Messenger prize† (5). Language is, thus, explicitly figured as a code. The text stresses that the claim must be made â€Å"in the proper form of words† (5), and hence the possibility of arriving at a correct, univocal reading of a text, of fully understanding the code, is implied.However, since the challenge Hale receives ultimately results in his death, we see figured in Brighton Rock the inadequacy of such a simple method of reading. This possibility is confirmed in the larger investigation of reading that is enacted in the novel. As the detective, Ida is the reader of the fictions that Pinkie creates to explain Hale's, Spicer's, and, though it does not occur, Rose's deaths. In producing these fictions, Pinkie uses tangible signs, which are meant to mislead their reader. The cards he has Spicer lay along Hale's rou te are meant to stand as the visible traces of Hale's presence, as Hale's signature.Similarly, in preparing the story of Rose's suicide, Pinkie uses a note that Rose herself has written and insists that she â€Å"add a piece† to explain her death (231); for Rose, this involves â€Å"signing away more than her life† (227) because in committing suicide she commits a mortal sin which will, according to her belief, damn her. But in both instances, and particularly in the latter, the creation of a fiction is explicitly tied to the production of a written text, and in this way the act of detection that involves the reading of Pinkie's texts mirrors the activity of Greene's reader and of reading in general.Conclusion If Brighton Rock demonstrates the limitations of reading, it also insists upon the necessity of reading. Just as Chesterton described every detail within the urban landscape as a sign to be read by the detective in his or her search for truth, so is every detail within a detective story of potential significance to the reader's interpretation of the narrative. In Brighton Rock the experience of the world is figured in terms of reading; the world of Brighton is explicitly a world of text.Rose's father's face is â€Å"marked deeply with the hieroglyphics of pain and patience and suspicion† (142); â€Å"the edge of the sea is like a line of writing in whitewash: big sprawling letters† (152); and Ida, herself, is likened by the narrative to an enigmatic text that insists it be read: â€Å"she stood there like a wall at the end of an alley scrawled with the obscene chalk messages of an enemy† (196). In this context, reading becomes an unavoidable activity linked to power; those best able to read or even to offer convincing and authoritative readings are those who exercise power in this world.Both Ida and the police are confident in their interpretations of clues and events. The police, assigned the task of interpreting evide nce in order to determine whether or not a crime has been committed, produce their own reading of Hale's death. Their report presents a univocal interpretation of the details of the death and so preserves their power because in their eyes and in the eyes of the society the case is solved.The closing of the case thus maintains an impression of efficiency, which, in turn, justifies the authority conferred upon the police. As Edwin Muir wrote of Pinkie in a review of Brighton Rock, â€Å"he is an evil product of an evil environment, a living criticism of society, and on that plane genuine† (76). Muir's remarks could just as easily apply to Raven, who is said to be â€Å"made by hatred† (66). Indeed, because one of his obsessive boasts is â€Å"I'm educated† (15, 46), the social system that shapes Raven is severely criticized.In Brighton Rock there are hints of a repressed desire for goodness and peace in Pinkie that are seen in his emotional reactions to music, his recollection of his days in the church choir and his desire to be a priest, his faint stirring of tenderness for Rose and pity for Prewitt, and his sense of an â€Å"enormous emotion beating on him . . . the pressure of gigantic wings against the glass† as he drives Rose to what he assumes will be her death (242)—all of which indicate that Pinkie's evil arises out of the corruption of his innocence.In his case, the crippling effects of his environment destroy a natural tendency to goodness. The three â€Å"entertainments† that follow Brighton Rock, while not abandoning the social critique of the books from the thirties, become more obvious than Greene's text was in the interrogations of the thriller form and of the structures of authority—whether political, literary or textual—that exist within society. Bibliography Greene, Graham. Brighton Rock. 1938. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1988._____________. Our Man in Havana. 1958. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 197 7. Lewis, R. W. B. â€Å"Graham Greene: The Religious Affair. † The Picaresque Saint: Representative Figures in Contemporary Fiction. Philadelphia and New York: Lipponcott, 1959. 220-74. McEwen, Neil. Graham Greene. Macmillan Modern Novelists. London: Macmillan, 1988. O'Donnell, Donat. â€Å"Graham Greene. † Chimera 5. 4 (Summer 1947): 18-30. Todorov, Tzvetan. The Poetics of Prose. 1971. Trans. Richard Howard. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1977.